COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTIONFirst of series. Fritz Maytag, owner of San Franciscoís Anchor Brewing Company, is regarded as the founding father of the craft brewing movement. Frtiz agreed to guest brew this very special ale with us in honor of our 30th anniversary. As a nod to the dark ales and stouts that seduced both Fritz and Ken in the early years, we bring you this pioneering stout, a rich and roasted ale, perfect for aging, and worthy of your finest snifter. Enjoy!

Poured dark brown with a densely packed brown head into a Duvel tulip. Very roasty in the nose with a licorice note floating in the background. The flavor is also very roasty with notes of chocolate, earth, licorice, citrus and a touch of smoke. Velvety mouth feel with decent bitterness. A great way to celebrate an anniversary!

Draft at TBBT for their anniversary party. Pitch black, minimal head. Served a little cold. Difficult to discern much past a deep roast coffee. Taste is coffee and chocolate. Not much bitterness and a tad sweet but not too sweet or cloying or anything. No sign of the alcohol. Stops short of any oxidation too. This held up really well.

[From nots.] This black stoutís opaque body supports a nice tan head.
Aroma: Dark roasted and near butnt malts with hints of coffee and molasses.
Taste: Rich and moderately complex flavor. Primary flavor is certainly from the dark roasted malts, which bring more smokiness and less coffee that expected based on the aroma. A nice contribution of hops adds complexity and bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Full-bodied. Light carbonation. Very smooth mouthfeel is not as creamy as ideal, but that might require nitro.
O: A high quality imperial stout, no doubt. While not strongly smoky, I donít care for smokiness in most beers and enjoyed this one a little less because of it. Pushs the border on dark roasting without actually crossing over into the burnt range.

Bottle thanks to Stawn! Pours inky black, medium super creamy brown head, lasts a long time and laces well. Aroma is roasty with notes of chocolate, anise, and a bit of smokiness. Flavor follows, lots of anise and chocolate in the body, dark roasted malts lend a smoky flavor as well. Light plus sweet, medium bitter. Full body, creamy mouthfeel. This is an interesting take on the style and a really nice beer.

Large sample pour, fairly black, with almost no head. Nose is fully roasted and dark, some burnt coffee notes. Flavor is similar, fairly roasted throughout, not quite burnt. Dark coffee again. Not bad for four years old. Not overly oxidized.

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